The plumbing industry deals with huge types of materials and products. Fittings are one of those products. They are extremely important for connecting pipelines. Fittings perform a variety of functions. They vary in shape and size before comparing. Brass and copper fittings are widely used in plumbing and various other industries. They share similarities but also have key differences. Here’s a comparison of brass fittings and copper fittings:

What are Fittings?

In plumbing, pipe fittings mean joints or connections of different shapes and sizes. Their function is to measure the flow of liquids and serve as a joint between two pipes or as regulators.

Types of Fittings: 

Fittings come in many different types. They are mainly classified based on their shapes and sizes. The most commonly used, well-known types of fittings are as follows.

• Elbow Fitting:  Elbows are bent fittings that work by changing the direction of liquid flowing across the pipeline. Elbow fittings can be found in many materials. Their use is widespread, and almost every plumbing system requires elbows.

• Specifications.

Product: 90 Degrees of Elbow bend.

Material: Steel, Matte, or mirror polish.

Size: 1/2-6 Dn 10 to Dn 150.

Pressure: Medium Pressure.

Working Temperature: Medium Temperature.

Applications: The most common applications are in chemicals, food, and beverages.

• Tee-Type Pipe Fittings: Tee-type fittings are in the shape of the alphabet “T.” They have three openings. One of them is an inlet, while the two are outlet openings. If three of them are unequal in size, they are called unequal tee. The tee fitting with three equal openings is called an equal tee. The Tee-type fitting outlets are at 90° to the inlet openings.

• Specifications.

Product: Tee-type Brass Fitting.

Material: Brass Alloy.

Size: 16mm up to 32mm.

Pressure: High Tensile strength against considerable pressure.

Working Temperature: Can undergo high thermal resistance in case of high temperature.

Applications: Best for cold water, hot water, and gaseous applications.

• Coupling Fittings:  When we need to connect the two pipes of the same width, we install coupling fittings. The coupling serves as a bridge to connect two identical pipelines or replace leakage. When a piece of pipe is broken, the coupling can be used at that point by cutting off the broken or damaged part and installing the coupling.

Coupling comes in two types as per their structure. Slip coupling has a more straightforward setup. It contains two pipes tucked into each other. One of them can be slid to fix the damaged portion of the pipe. Compression coupling prevents leakage between two pipes. It has seals on both sides that stop leakage immediately.

• Specifications:

Product:  Compression Coupling.

Material: Plastic. Body, nut, and blocking bush made up of Polypropylene PPB—clinching ring made of POM and gasket ring of NBR.

Size: 20*1/2 to 110*4 Weight: 37g/pc to 1301g/pc

Pressure: Offers muscular mechanical strength against pressure.

Working Temperature: Good for moderate temperature. The extreme temperature may de shape plastic structure.

Applications: Best suitable to handle water. We can use it for agricultural irrigation and structure engineering purposes.

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• Reducer Fitting:  Reducer is a type of fitting that reduces the size of the larger pipe. It has a reducing structure. One side of the fitting is relatively large to connect with a larger tube. At the same time, the second opening is smaller to break large areas into smaller ones.

Reducers can be eccentric or concentric. They have a slight difference. Concentric reducers may have air batch due to cone-shaped structures. In contrast, the eccentric reducer contains a parallel edge to the connecting pipe where no air can be stuck.

• Specifications.

Product: Stainless Steel Eccentric Reducer.

Material: Stainless steel, Alloy Steel.

Size: 1/2-72

Pressure: Can bear considerable pressure due to adaptable structure.

Working Temperature: Stainless Steel and metal alloy can undergo high temperatures.

Applications: Reducer Fittings are applicable in chilled and hot water pipeline systems.

• Cross Fittings: Cross-type Fittings of the cross sign. It has four openings in four directions. We install cross Fittings when we have to connect four pipes at a single point. It serves as a central point to four different tubes; therefore, any temperature change can result in stress on the fitting.

• Specifications.

Product: Stainless Steel 4-way thread pipe Fitting.

Material: SS301, SS304/CF8.

Size: 1/4-4 and DN 6-DN 100

Pressure: 150LB.

Working Temperature: – 20_300°C

Applications: Fire Sprinklers, water, and petroleum pipelines.

• Male and Female Adapters: Male and female adapters change the plane ends of a pipe into threaded form. Threads can be created on materials that offer malleable properties. These adapters have two ends. One is either male or female-threaded, while the other is plain.

• Specifications.

Product: Full-range Brass Coupler Thread Adapter.

Material: Brass, lead-free, and DZR fitting.

Size: Full Range Size available.

Pressure: 3 to 16 bars.

Working Temperature: -20 to 120 degrees.

Applications: Common applications are in irrigation, water pipeline, and industries.

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• Union: A union has a similar function as coupling. However, a few properties make it unique. Union has an advantage in that it can be removed. In comparison, a collar is fixed and cannot be detached. Male and female threads are present in a union. A nut is located in the center to hold the pipe.

Specifications.

Product: Tee nipple Union fitting.

Material: Stainless Steel.

Size: 1/4 to 4.

Thread: BSP, BSPT, NPT.

Working Temperature: High-temperature sustainability.

Applications: Water pipeline systems, oil, gas, air control, etc.

• Olets: Olets have forged type fittings that make 45° or 90° connections between an inlet and outlet openings. In such cases, inlet pipes are more considerable than outlets. Let’s help fix this problem. They come in multiple shapes and sizes.

• Specifications.

Product:  Weld lots pipe fitting.

Material: Carbon and Stainless Steel.

Size: 1/8-4″

Pressure: 2000LB for SCH 40.  

Working Temperature: Relatively broad and high range.

Applications: Chemical Industry, Light industry, petroleum, metallurgy, etc.

• Cap Fittings: Caps are plumbing Fittings with female threads connected to the female threads of pipelines. They serve as a waterproof seal that prevents any leakage. Like all other fittings, caps are also available in plastic, copper, brass steel, etc.

• Specifications.

Product: Seamless Welded Cap.

Material: Stainless Steel, Duplex Stainless Steel.

Size: 1/2 to 36 for seamless and 26 to 110 for welding.

Pressure: Seals the pipe end with a good grip on stress.

Working Temperature: Good to go with moderate range.

Applications: Aviation industry, aerospace industry, water and had treatment, etc.

1. Plug: Plug works as a seal to close A pipe end. It is a male-threaded fitting that connects to female threads of the pipe. It blocks or seals the pipe during repairs or ongoing inspections by blocking the flow.

Specifications.

Product: stainless steel hexagon socket plug.

Material: Brass, Stainless Steel, Iron.

Size: 1/8 NPT, 1/4, 3/8.

Pressure: Regular Pressure.

Working Temperature: –20 to -80°C.

Applications:  Suitable to handle water, had, and oil pipes.

Difference Between Brass fittings and Copper fittings.

Although, pipe fittings come in many different materials. Yet, it is essential to choose a suitable material for use. A quality material works excellently and saves from problems that can arise in the case of low-quality products.

Brass and copper are said to be one of the strongest competitors. Each one of them has unique properties that make them stand out. We have analyzed the difference between brass fittings and copper fittings to choose one. Let’s first check the properties of Brass and copper.

Properties of Brass:

Below are the properties that Brass offers,

• Highly efficient against rusting.
• Malleable in nature.
• High-temperature survival.
• Long life span than usual metals.
• Quality finishing of products that create eye-catching products.

Properties of Copper:

Copper has the following distinct properties,

• Ductility: easy to draw in the form of sheets.
• Lightweight and efficient in performance.
• Corrosion Resistant nature.
• Excellent thermal conductivity features.
• Durable and reliable products.

Significant Differences Between Brass Fittings and Copper Fittings:

  There are many differences between brass fittings and copper fittings.

●Colour: One of the most visible differences between brass and copper fittings is their color. Brass fittings are light in color, resembling that of gold. While the color of copper is dark and orangish-red in appearance.
●Surface Finishing: Brass gives its plumbing findings a lighter finish. Whereas the finishing of copper looks rustic.
●Corrosion Resistance: Copper shows resistance against corrosion of almost all types. On the other hand, the brass fittings cannot withstand salt water, leading to corrosive surfaces.
●Strength: Copper fittings are rigid. They are not brittle but also not too strong. Brass is a soft metal but possesses good strength.
Below are the differences between brass and copper fittings in the form of a table for better understanding.

The Bottom Line:

From the discussion so far, we can conclude a few facts. The differences between brass and copper fittings are pretty obvious now. It is essential to know that one material might not be suitable everywhere.

Brass gives a smooth, shiny surface, while copper prevents the fittings from corrosion. Surprisingly, brass pipes stay two to five times longer than copper. Yet, copper gets the slot when it comes to maintenance and quality. Choosing between Brass and copper depends upon their application and use. As a professional supplier-Plumberstar, we can provide you with all types and sizes of pipe fittings. Please feel free to contact us.